Combined signal, spotlight, and mirror



Jun 12, 19232 I 1,458,704

D. L. HARRIS ET AL COMBINED SIGNAL, SPOTLIGHT, AND MIRROR Filed May 2, 1921 4 Sheets-Shee t 1 INVENTORS. Daniel L. Harris George L. Coffman Hezm W Eesnzck' A TTORNE Y.

June 12, 1923. 1,458,704

D. L. HARRIS ET AL COMBINED SIGNAL, SPOTLIGHT, AND MIRROR Filed May 2. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EM: I n.

INVENTOR. Daniel L. Harris George L. Goff/nan By lfeim WI Eesmclr A TTORNEY.

June 12, 1923.

D. L. HARR IS ET AL. COMBINED SIGNAL, SPOTLIGHT, AND MIRROR Filed May 2. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Daniel L. Harris Geo A TT ORNE Y.

. June 12', 1923.

D. L. HARRIS ET AL COMBINED SIGNAL, SPOTLIGHT, AND MIRROR Filed May 2 1921 IIIIIIIIIIIIL INVEN TOR. Dante] Lh'arrzs George L Coffman y Hezm WI Resm'cfr ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 12, 1923.

UNITED STATES,

fP Tf F E DANIEL L. HARRIS, ononon njoorrivmn nnn HEIM w. .RnsNIo or wIoH ITA,

KANSAS; .SAILD HARRIS AssIeNoR OFONE-SIXTI-I TO RAY e. RoenRs, or PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA, I

COMBINED sIonAnsPoTLIIiT, AND MIRRO Application filed May 2,

T 0 all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that we, DANIRLL. HARRIS,

GEORGE L. COFFMAN, and Hnmr W. Rnsnion,

citizens of the United States, and residents of Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have ointly invented a cerof the instruments mentioned, for use-on motor vehicles.

A further object is to produce an 1mproved trafic signal of the semaphore type,

that is easily installed upon a motor car,

and that is operated by a single lever located in convenient position to the drivers hand close to the steering wheel. The signaling device is so constructed as to indicate to other drivers, and pedestrians, the intended stopping, backingor turning of the car, and

the direction of such turning. The signal comprises, essentially, a housing provided with means for attachment to a support on an automobile such as a windshield-frame,

and a pivotally mounted hand or pointer,

and manually operable means for setting the pointer toseveral different position-angles. Our signal further comprises an improved motionstra-nsmission withinthe housing, and other features noted below.

Further objects in view are to provide a combined apparatus of great compactness and light in weight; to protect all' the mechanism and electrical parts from/the elements; and to provide on the signal pointer, means for displaying a colored bulls-eye light at both front andrear, also for llghting the pointer itself with whitelight, all from a single light-bulb as the source.

These and other objectsfand advantages are attained'by the construction disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in w'hich-w t Fig. 1 is a plan view of thecomplete device, omitting the" circular parts of the housing; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line II---II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation omitting the clamp and "other parts; Fig. ,4 is a plan view with cover-plate in position, omitting the clamp Fig. 5 is'a reduced scale elevation showing the pointer in two- 'lens 2.

1921. s rial No. 466,326. i

of its directive positions; Fig. 6 is a detail by the sectional View taken along the line VI VI, Fig. 8; F T is a longitudinal section of the pointer, its bearings, and a part of one form of electric contact device; Fig. 8 is a detail view in elevation of one of the lenses which are a feature of the invention;

F 9 is a detail of the lamp-switch pivot; Fig. 10 is a detail View in side "elevationof the control lever where a Bowden wire '48 'viewof the'lamp circuitswitch as shown is employedyFig. 11 is a sectional detail of the quadrant; Fig. 12 shows a wiring diagram applicable to the invention. 7

Referring first to'Figs. 1 and 2: The housing comprises three sheet m'etal plates1,2,

3,0'f the same size and shape,connected by flanged bolts 15 in a well known manner, to form spaces in which the'mechanisin is enclosed. Rain and dustare largely excluded byacover-plate 4 (Fig. 4) which is removable and has a slot 5 therein to allow the swinging pointer 6 to be projected intovisible positions. This cover-plate is held in position by screws 7, some of which appear .on Figs. 3 and 4.

At the inner side'of the housing isa solid block of metal 8, on'which is mounted any preferred form of combined swivel and clamp (or base) constructed to afi'ordpivotal motion on axes normal to each other, to provide the necessary adjustability for the spotlight 9. As shown, the {clamp-jaws 10 are adapted to grip a rod 12 which in themajority of cars will be a part of the outer I permit of the rotation ofthe yoke 16.

- The spot-light. housing 19 is secured to plate 1 in any suitable way, and contain's'a parabolic reflector, 20. The socket for bulb 9 is mounted on an insulation bl0ck'21, se-

cured to plate The anterior opening of housing 19 is covered'by a glass diskor The signaling pointer ismade preferably plates 1, 3. Hub rings 28, solderedto plates 6, are 'slidable upon shaft 26, and are provided with set-screws 29 which fix the pointer 6 upon the shaft.

'At the finger-tip, each plate 6 has a semicircularaperture 30 cut therein. Mounted over each aperture is a glass lens 31, comprising a plane portion 31 and a prismoid portion 31. As shown, each lens s held in place by. a sheet metal frame 32 soldered to the adjacent plate.

The receptacle 33 for the electric bulb 34 is mounted in a holder' 36," secured between the plates 6 in any suitable manner.

bulb ispositioned to'cast its light through I natlng the bulb 34 be saved when the pointer The the lenses, and this feature makes the signal comp-lcuous at any time but especially at night. The prisms 31' serve to deflect a por- 'tion of this light inwardly along the finger 6', as indicated by the darts, so that the whole hand bulb 34. I g

- Before describing the electrical features of the mechanism, We will proceed to describe the preferred means for actuating the 4 ointer.

Any mechanical movement. whereby the pointer shaft may be rotated stepby step tube. The ends of such tube or sheath being immovably mounted,the movements desired are transmitted by longitudinal movements of th wire.

One end of the sheath 40 is secured to a nipple 4l by a nut 42. v Said nipple is secured to a sleeve 43 on one of the framebolts 15. A sprocket wheel 44 on a shaft 46 has an eccentric pin 47 onwhich is an eye,

not shown, secured to or formed by one end of the slidable wire 48. A driven sprocket 49 rigid on shaft 26 and a suitable chain or link-belt 45. connects the sprockets. The

opposite end of the sheath40 is secured to a drum 50 (Figs. 10, 11) provided with a clip for securing the drum to the steering column 51 of the automobile. The lever 52 is secured to a disc 53, rotatable on a screw 54. The inner face of the disc carries an eccentricpin 56, lZO'WlllCll an eye on the endof the Wire 48. isconnec'ted. Lever 52 has a selfreleasing latch 52, having a point which is pressed by a spring52 against the-quadwill be illuminated from the rant 58 of the drum. ,In thisquadrant are a series of; depressions 59 in the-path of the latch-point. When the latch engages, say,

the lowermost notch, the pointer 6 will be fully housed within the housing, occupying a position shown. in dotted lines on Fig. 2.

By moving the lever to the next notch, the pointer 6willbe'turned downwardly and outwardly, a proportional distance, thus making visible the finger 6 in the first directive position. Thus, the pointer may be set and held at any of several angles by setting the operating lever 52 correspondingly. An

arbitrary-meaning will be assigned to each position of the. pointer. Any mechanical equivalent for the sprockets and chain may,..

of course, be employed. One reason for the mechanism just mentioned is that it converts .acrank-pin travel of less than 180 degrees,

into a crank-pin travel of more than 180 degrees, by making the driven sprocket smaller than the driving sprocket. i

Itis desirable that th current for illumiis at normal position. To this end, means are provided for automatically, opening the;

lamp circuit when the hand nears its closed position. We also desire that the electric horn of the vehicle be sounded whenever the hand is placed at any directive position except the first. tion, we intend to indicate that the driver is about to park the vehicle; and that the hand he left insuch position as long asthe vehicle is parked. Hence it'would not do The first directive posi-.,

to have the horn circuit continuously closed,

when the hand is at parked position. we therefore, provide means for closing the lamp circuitautomatically when the hand is at any directive position; for closing the horn circuitwhen the hand is at any directive position except/the first; and foropening both of said circuits automatically when the hand is returned to housed position.

One construction for these means is shown on Figs. 1, 2 and 7.

An insulating cylinder 60 is keyed on shaft 26 by a screw 61 which also holds upon the cylinder a metal segment 62., A similar conductingsegment 63 is mounted oncylinder 60 close to segment 62. an insulated wire b'leads from lamp socket 33 to segment 63, as shown on Fig. 7. The other pole of said socket is grounded through the metal parts 36, 6, main housing, swivel, clamp, to

the frame ofthe car (part 12)...

A pair of conducting brushes 64,]66,

properlyoperable from and mountedv in an insulating block 67 secured to plate 2, contact the cylinder 60 in alinementgwith the segments. Segment 63, in the lamp icircuit,

is adjusted to contact its brush 66 before-the other segment 62 will contact its brush 64,

when the pointer is movedfrom normal.

From the lamp brush, awire 6 passes into thence to the electric horn if the vehicle is provided with sucha horn. These 'conduc-f tors are sufiicien't for both circuits,.as the a cable 68, thence to battery. From the horn brush, a Wire va passes intothe cable,

horn and the lamp 34 will bothbe grounded to battery, in the usual wiring system employed.

Fig. 6 shows one form of switch for con trolling the spot-light 9. As shown, it comprises a point 69, a contact-spring ,70and a snap lever 71, which latter is flush with Said lever is pivoted on a pin 72, held by a metal plate 3 when the switch 'iscopen.

housing 73 secured to plate 3. (See Fig.9.) From point 69 a wire a! leads to the spotlight receptacle. The wire e taps the wire Z) which feeds the signal lamp34.

The fingerpiece 74 on switch-lever 71 permits said lever to bethrown up from its flush position, and the pressure of spring holds the lever in either open or closed position, as will be apparent without description. Our object in making this lever close the spot-light circuit by throwing same to open position, is that by this device the said lever will have two functions, viz, it will serve as a handle by which the driver can conveniently direct the spot light, as the whole housing may be turned upon its bearings by grasping this handle. This construction also obviates providing a separate handle for the housing. f

In lieu of the brush-and-seg mentarrange ment shown, any preferred type of sliding contact devices may beemployed. Such devices might be located within the hand or pointer. g

It is thought that'the operation of the signaling mechanism,- in both its mechanical and electrical features, has been explained inthe course of the specification.

Various changes in proportion, arrangement and construction of parts, and mechanical equivalents therefor, may be. re-

sorted to without passing beyond the scope i of our invention. Thehorn-sounding fea -iture may be omitted. The. prismoidpon.

tions of the lenses 31might'belomitted,:but

Having described our invention, we claim i by this feature,

as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: r s p 1. A combined; electric signal, spot light and mirror a housing having three plates: L spaced apart in parallelism to form front and rear compartments; amirror on'the rear surface of'the back plate and a spot light and housing forwardly positioned,

irom thefront plate; a cover plate closing the compartments having a slot; a signaling pointers in the form ofa hollow hand pivotally'arranged in and concealed within one compartment and adapted to be projected outwardlythrough said cover plate. slot into visible positions; an electric bulb within the hollow hand, and prism means for deflecting light to illuminate the inner parts, ofthehollow hand. I I

2. A combined electric signal, spot light and mirror a housing having three plates spaced apart in parallelism forming'front and rear compartments; a mirror onthe rear surface of the back plate and a spot light housed forwardly from the front plate;

a cover plate closinglthecompartments having a slot therein; a signaling pointer in the form of a hollow hand pivotally arranged in and normally 'concealed w'ithin one compartment and adapted to be'projected outwardly through the cover plate slot into visible positions; an electric bulb withinthe hollow hand, an opening in an extended forefinger portion-oiisaid hand, a glass lens in said opening adapted to deflect a portion ofthe light rays inwardlypto illuminate in- I, p 7

her portions of thehollow hand; sprocket wheel mechanism, chain driven, within the other compartment and operable fromwith- .out for occasioning arbitrary pivoted movements to sa d pointer. a

DANIEL L. HARRIS;

HEIM W; RESNIGK.

-Witnesses: y i I p y M. J. CHARLES,

, K. M. IMBODEN.

GEORGE ,L. coFEMA f' 1 

